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VERIFY: No, Facebook doesn't own your personal photos

Don't be fooled by posts saying Facebook will take full rights over your photos this week. It's a false/old claim. Instead, spread the word on what VERIFY found out.

Another week, another viral Facebook message. This one claims that Facebook will take full control of your photos and content within days...but that debunked claim has been around for years.

It's appeared in multiple formats before. It claims the social media giant is starting a new rule where they can use your photos without express permission and it offers a copy and paste message you should post to let Facebook know they can’t do this.

But before you look this up or share it - you should know it’s almost completely false.

We found the message on sites from 2012, back when Facebook did change their policies.

But, the claims in the viral post are nothing new, and whether you realized it or not, you already agreed to most of what it says.

Facebook’s Terms of Service include two main points. 

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It explains that all content users' posts belongs to each individual, but by posting to Facebook, you’re agreeing that the company can use and share your material.

The terms read in part: “you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, and worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate, and create derivative works of your content (consistent with your privacy and application settings). This means, for example, that if you share a photo on Facebook, you give us permission to store, copy, and share it with others (again, consistent with your settings) such as service providers that support our service or other Facebook Products you use.”

Since you agreed to these terms when you signed up for Facebook, you can’t opt out of them without actually deleting the content in question or your account.

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